How To Be Chivalrous (3 min read)

noun ​ /ˈʃɪv.əl.ri/  1) very polite, honest, and kind behaviour, especially by men towards women 2) the system of behaviour followed by knights in the medieval period of history, that put a high value on honour, kindness, and courage

Chivalry sounds so old-fashioned, but if any tradition needs to be revived perhaps it should be this one. What sparked my interest is a 10th-century book I stumbled across called “The Way Of Chivalry”.

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Who is the most successful person?

When you google the question, you get a list of the rich and powerful – Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos or Angela Merkel. But why does success have to defined by money or political power? I think the better approach is to personalise the question. So out of all the people you personally know, who is the most successful person? And what word would you associate with that person?

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The force of gravity doesn’t exist?!

Remember the story about Isaac Newton seeing an apple falling from a tree and discovering gravity? Of course, and ever since, it has seemed clear that there a force called gravity which pulls objects down towards the earth – the apple falls to the ground or when you jump you land back down. But it turns out there is no such thing as this force of gravity.

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Stop Labelling Other People!

The US election seems to have brought out the worst in people. Democrats call Republican supporters fascists and racists; Republicans call Democrat supporters communists and anti-American. But this isn’t just happening during election time, nor just in the US, but it seems to be happening all the time and everywhere – people are quick to negatively label others they don’t like and dismiss them completely. I scanned Wikipedia and the broader internet (not recommended!) for common negative stereotypes of different social groupings, here’s what I found:

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How Luck Looks Like Genius In Hindsight (1 min)

JAWS_Movie_poster

Jaws is the most successful “horror” movie of all time. Adjusted for inflation, it also comes in at number seven for all genres of movie*. The film is 124 minutes long. But guess when the shark first makes it full appearance? 80 minutes into the film. So for most the movie, we just hear about the shark, which is what makes it so scary. Continue reading “How Luck Looks Like Genius In Hindsight (1 min)”

Stop Breathing Through Your Mouth!

When was the last time you thought about how you breathe? I’m guessing you think more about what you eat, how you exercise, or even how you sleep. Yet, we spend more time breathing than pretty much other activity and of course, it is fundamental to being alive. But do you know how to breathe well? Until recently, I didn’t, even though I’m into meditation.

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How To Stay Looking Young

I was on a Zoom call recently and I noticed how someone in their forties looked very young. It could have been the “touch up my appearance” setting, but they also look young in person. So, what is the secret of such people. Over the years, I’ve asked these preternaturally young people what they do, and here’s what I’ve learned:

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